Bryant v. City of Berkeley

CourtDistrict Court, N.D. California
DecidedSeptember 12, 2025
Docket3:21-cv-08169
StatusUnknown

This text of Bryant v. City of Berkeley (Bryant v. City of Berkeley) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bryant v. City of Berkeley, (N.D. Cal. 2025).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

VINCENT BRYANT, et al., Case No. 21-cv-08169-AGT

Plaintiffs, ORDER ON DEFENDANTS’ v. SUMMARY JUDGMENT MOTION

CITY OF BERKELEY, et al., Re: Dkt. No. 101 Defendants.

This case arises out of law enforcement activity that took place on January 2, 2021,1 when City of Berkeley police responded to a call for assistance after plaintiff Vincent Bryant left a Walgreens store wielding a chain. A team of officers were dispatched to the scene and encountered Bryant, who was visibly and verbally agitated. Bryant was shot during the in- teraction and this lawsuit followed. Bryant asserted violations of the Fourth Amendment, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), supervisory liability, and a number of state law claims. Dkt. 43. Defendants City of Berkeley, Officer Madison Albrandt, Ser- geant Samantha Speelman, and Sergeant Kevin Kleppe (collectively, Defendants) move for summary judgment on all claims. Dkt. 101. For the reasons that follow, the Court grants

1 Bryant’s first amended complaint lists the date of the events in question as January 21, 2021. Dkt. 43 § 1. In Defendants’ amended summary judgment motion, dkt. 101 at 11, and Bryant’s opposition to summary judgment, dkt. 103 at 5, the date is listed as January 2, 2021. This mix-up also occurred in depositions, where Sergeant Kleppe clarified that the correct date is January 2, 2021. Kleppe Dep. 8:1–11. See also Albrandt Dep. 6:13–17. judgment in favor of Defendants on Bryant’s federal claims only and declines to exercise jurisdiction over his state law claims. I. Bryant’s Condition As an initial matter, for reasons unrelated to this lawsuit, Bryant was found unre- sponsive in March of 2023. Dkt. 101 at 15 n.4;2 Antonia Bryant Dep. 55:2–56:19.3 He re-

mained in a vegetative state as of the filing of this motion. Dkt. 101 at 15 n.44 The Court previously appointed Bryant’s mother, Antonia Bryant, guardian ad litem. Dkt. 78. Bryant was not deposed prior to becoming unresponsive and apparently is unable to testify live or otherwise at trial. See dkt. 68 (stipulation and order regarding Bryant’s lack of competence to testify). Instead, the Court relies in large part on recorded footage captured by officers’ body worn cameras (BWC) and testimony from the officers, which is the only eyewitness testimony offered by the parties. The record is still viewed in the light most favorable to the nonmovant, Bryant here, “so long as [his] version of the facts is not blatantly contradicted by the video evidence.”

Vos v. City of Newport Beach, 892 F.3d 1024, 1028 (9th Cir. 2018). Nor does the “mere existence of video footage . . . foreclose a genuine factual dispute as to the reasonable infer- ences that can be drawn from that footage.” Id. Instead, the Court “must carefully examine the evidence in the record to determine whether the officers’ testimony is internally

2 References to page numbers in this order correspond to the Electronic Case Filing pagina- tions at the top of each page. 3 Citations to deposition transcripts are page:line. 4 Defendants originally moved for summary judgment, arguing that Bryant was “brain dead” pursuant to California law. Dkt. 92 at 16. Bryant argued in opposition that his condition did not preclude his claims. Dkt. 94 at 15–16. The Court ordered further inquiry into Bryant’s status. Dkt. 99. In response, in their amended motion, Defendants withdraw that argument. Dkt. 101 at 15 n.4. The parties therefore agree Bryant’s claims may proceed to summary judgment. consistent and consistent with other known facts.” Gonzalez v. City of Anaheim, 747 F.3d 789, 791 (9th Cir. 2014) (en banc). II. Factual Background Relevant here, on the evening of January 2, 2021, after Bryant left a Walgreens on Shattuck Avenue, a Walgreens employee called the police to report that Bryant had stolen

from the store and threatened him with a chain. Dkt. 103 (opposition) at 5; Huynh Dep. 15:11–24 & 16:17–22; Kleppe Dep. 31:4–7. The chain is visible on video and was described in the submitted testimony as between six and thirteen feet long, Huynh Dep. 15:18–25 & Albrandt Dep. 127:17–21, “large,” Kleppe Dep. 31:5–6, and “thick.” Albrandt Dep. 127:17– 21.5 The store employee additionally reported that Bryant was experiencing mental health- related symptoms and referenced a “5150.”6 Dkt. 103 at 5; Huynh Dep. 17:4–14; Albrandt Dep. 82:8–17; Kleppe Dep. 31:4–19. Bryant walked from Walgreens into the courtyard of U.C. Berkeley’s Tang Center. Dkt. 103 at 5. Police surrounded him there. Id. at 6; Gibson BWC 00:00–01:30. Bryant yelled

“shoot” repeatedly and threatened to “take every single one” of the police “out,” among other similar comments, while walking the courtyard and holding the chain. Dkt. 103 at 6–7; Gib- son BWC 00:30–03:39. As shown and heard in the BWC clips, officers repeatedly asked him to drop the chain or otherwise tried to engage Bryant. Gibson BWC 00:30–03:39. After several minutes, Sergeant Speelman arrived on scene and engaged with Bryant. Dkt. 103 at 7; Gibson BWC 05:35–45. Sergeant Speelman is a trained negotiator, Speelman

5 Bryant presents no evidence to the contrary, characterizing it only as a “bike chain” in his opposition. Dkt. 103 at 5. 6 California Welfare & Institutions Code § 5150 allows for the temporary hold of certain persons posing a danger to themselves or others, or exhibiting grave disability. Dep. 27:18–22, and she first asked Bryant to sit down and talk. Gibson BWC 05:38–45. Bryant responded in part, “only if you see what I see right now.” Id. 05:46–51. Bryant con- tinued to ask Sergeant Speelman to describe a picture that he was seeing, saying that if she did, he would drop his chain. Dkt. 103 at 7; Gibson BWC 06:14–23. Among other state- ments, Bryant told Sergeant Speelman that “women are okay,” that “men who play cowards”

will be “sent to the planet of [their] choice,” and that the men who “show they deserve a second chance” will get to stay on planet Earth. Dkt. 103 at 7; Gibson BWC 07:00–16. He was no longer striking his chain on the ground. Dkt. 103 at 7; Gibson BWC 05:36–12:23. After about five and a half minutes, Sergeant Speelman withdrew. Dkt. 103 at 7–8; Gibson BWC 12:35. Sergeant Speelman testified that she felt that she had “exhausted [her] options as far as negotiating with him.” Speelman Dep. 44:4–9. Shortly after Sergeant Speelman left the immediate scene and ceased verbal contact with Bryant, dkt. 103 at 8; Gibson BWC 13:09–11, a contact team7 entered the courtyard with weapons drawn and ordered Bryant to drop the chain while moving towards him. Dkt.

103 at 8; Huynh BWC 02:50–56; Navarro BWC 11:19–21. Sergeant Huynh, leading the contact team, warned Bryant that if Bryant did not drop the chain, he would “get hit with less lethal.” Huynh BWC 02:57–59; Navarro BWC 11:20–24. Bryant turned to look at the contact team entering the courtyard and then moved toward the contact team. Dkt. 103 at 8; Huynh BWC 02:56–58; Albrandt BWC 11:37–43. Two non-lethal shots are audible in the videos, followed “at the same time as or

7 According to Defendants, “[t]he purpose of the Contact Team was to make contact with [Bryant] to take him into custody . . . .” Dkt. 101 at 13. Bryant defines the contact team as, “a group of five [Berkeley Police Department] Officers gathered approximately thirty (30) feet from [Bryant], behind one of the Tang Center Courtyard’s eastside buildings and hidden from [him] . . . .” Dkt. 103 at 8. immediately after,” dkt. 103 at 8, by a third lethal shot which hit Bryant in the face. Dkt. 103 at 8 & 10; Huynh BWC 02:58–03:02; Albrandt BWC 11:40–42. Officer Albrandt fired the lethal shot. E.g., Albrandt Dep.

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